Salesperson

The interview with Jae Han Lee, the salesperson, revealed knowledge about the product, the process that the product went through to meet the consumer, his experience, and other important information that shed light on his responsibilities in the company. The salesperson worked on a food product called Hetbahn, which is fried rice that only needs to be heated in the microwave before feeding. It not only saves time in preparation but presents a delicious and tasty product for the consumers to enjoy. From the interview I deduced that the market for the Hetbahn is increasing and has a great potential in the region and thus, is an appropriate product for Ready, Set, Sell (RSS).By determining its potential in the market, the right marketing strategies and persistence can lead to improved sales of the product.

From my interaction with the Sales person. I learnt much about the product, the company that produces it and the people a slight history about the company. The CJ Group, the company that produces Hetbahn was formed in 1953 as part of the Samsung group. It was initially a sugar and flour manufacturing company before it could diversify into other food products. However, later on in the 1990’s the company split from Samsung Group and in the early 2000s, it was rename CJ Group. With that introduction to the company, the sales person talked to me about the product of t interest. Hetbahn was introduced into the market in the December of 1996 and has been the leading pre-cooked white rice for the last two decades. It was produced to show the one spirit in the CJ Group and as a show of quality to the customers. The rice, which offers hotel quality flavor, has been an important part of the company’s growth ever since its introduction in the market.

The product chosen is the leading in the market with an estimated 67% of the market for cooked rice. It is suitable for people that have busy schedules or live lives that do not leave much time or resources for cooking. Students are particularly major customers for the market. Following the value that Hetbahn brings to them, they chose it over the competitor’s brands that are barely known in the market. However, the rice has not utilized the entire market for the rice and on receiving information about it sales from the sales person, I decided to employ my strategy in selling it to the shops that have not yet included them in the food shelves. However, the salesperson made it clear that I needed to consult the manufacturer, the CJ group so that they could access the suitability of the market before signing a contract to the seller, in this case, Hana market, requiring the owner to stock and sell CJ products only. The strategy, according to Jae Han Lee is meant to ensure that Hetbahn captures the rest of the market for pre-cooked flavored rice.

Customer Analysis

The interview also revealed important information about the target customers for the pre-cooked rice. Particularly, I realized that the CJ group when producing the rice had a specific target on mind. The first thing considered is the time spent when boiling rice. The time is significantly reduced as the Hetbahn is ready to eat and only requires about 90 seconds to prepare. The rice remains tasty, sticky, and does not lose its texture and does not require the use of preservatives. Further, as most people are turning to readily available food, they turn to junk, which is unhealthy and leads to health conditions such as obesity. However, Hetbahn is appropriate for the people who wants to eat quality and healthy food but do not have much time on their hands. Such people may include students, office workers, among other customers. Additionally, unlike other food products that vary in quality and consistency, the product guarantees maximum quality every time the consumers have it. Further, the people who prefer organic food form a large base of

Value Creation

The sales coach set Hetbahn out as a valued product in the South Korean Market and elsewhere in the world where it is consumed. It provides the best rice in the part of the world, pre-cooked packed and delivered to the customer for efficiency and ease of consumption. The rice is packed in a bowl and sealed to prevent contamination and ensure that it retains the freshly cooked flavor of rice without the addition of preservatives. Further, the stickiness of the rice and the retained structure ensures that the rice is appealing to the consumers hence achieving their satisfaction. The value created by the pre-cooked rice to the consumers is in terms of time saving, resources conservation required when preparing the rice and the quality of the food as opposed to other types of rice that are substandard and lose flavor, taste and structure when cooked. In terms of time, the product only requires about 90 seconds to prepare, as it only requires heating with a microwave.

Career Outlook

According to my sales coach, a marketer should be flexible in the methods to increase the sales and acquire more customers. The sales coach is a university Graduate with a sales and Marketing degree. However, he insists that the education level does not matter as long as you have the basic of the trade. For instance, he emphasizes the importance of having the sellers business in mind. He particularly takes a keen interest in the performance of Kim’s business and uses a web app to ensure that more customer purchase the product from Hana Market. The trick of the game is to measure the sales by percentages and ensure that the product is always on top of the competitors. He specifically stated that by developing similar interest with the suppliers, the marketer can be able to market the product efficiently to the seller without developing any complication. For instance, he and the manager of Hana market have golf as a similar interest. The sales coach creates much time to play golf with the seller as part of ensuring that he remains loyal in stocking Hetbahn. The strategy as stipulated not only helps to keep the manufacturers close in order to do business but also helps create a rapport that is necessary for current and future business interactions. From the interview, I have learnt great lessons that I will utilize to become an excellent sales person. Engaging in the Ready, Set, Sell (RSS) activity is also going to increase my experience and improve my career prospects in sales and marketing.